Transfer thread

[Hesperus]

Cucurella signed by Chelsea. Missed out on him due to the transfer fee it seems.

Hope we have other irons in the fire for LB.

[Hesperus]

Also looks like Bernado could be out the door before the end of the window. 🙁

[Gareth]

Cucurella signed by Chelsea. Missed out on him due to the transfer fee it seems.

Hope we have other irons in the fire for LB.

I felt a bit better when I read it was £62mil and City' valuation was £40mil.
If the reason we need a new LB is just as back-up to Cancelo, then surely there's a chance for Ake to step up for that?

[gavin]

It seems like a lot when we were offering £30 million to start with. I did read somewhere that City were making the same mistake that they did with McGuire. Lucky escape then eh.

[bluemax138]

I'm not that bothered that we missed out on Cucurella. He's only had one half decent season in a middling side so the money being asked was absolutely ludicrous. Furthermore it was reported that he preferred a move to City above a move to Chelsea but it is now apparent that what he actually preferred was to be not at Brighton.
I'm surprised we didn't make more of an effort to keep Zinchenko but I the position can be covered from within the squad and the available evidence would suggest that Wilson-Esbrand could plug the gap given time.

[gavin]

Pep does seem to mention Josh very prominently in his list of potentials for the position. I expect we'll be seeing a lot of him this season.

I don't think Cucurella got the option of coming to City in the end. No fee agreed with the club then no choice for him. Bit like Ronaldo last summer. All the talk of him being persuaded to go to United instead of City. But City never agreed a fee because they didn't want to pay anything to the club for him.

[silvablue]

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/sport/american-football/man-city-stance-on-bernardo-silva-transfer-amid-reports-barcelona-have-fee-agreed/ar-AA10tJxk 

Reports that Barcelona have agreed fee for Bernardo.

As per Spanish journalist Gerard Romero, via City Xtra, the two clubs have now agreed on a price for the midfielder, believed to be around €50-€55m (£42m-£46.5m).

[Gareth]

I don't really understand how Barcelona do their business. Today I was reading (in The Guardian ) that La Liga won't let them register their new players because they don't have enough "real" money, but here they are spending another £50mil. Ok, they sell off their tv rights for years into the future so as  to buy players now... it seems to be legal, but it doesn't sound sustainable (to me). I can just imagine the reaction if City started behaving like this.

[Gareth]

This is the article I was reading

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2022/aug/08/barcelona-blocked-by-la-liga-from-registering-new-players-before-season

[Gareth]

If I was City, I don't think I'd be taking any cheques from Barcelona. I'd want the money in a Prince Charles style, carrier bags full of used tenners, thank you very much.

[silvablue]

Barcelona board approved 4 tranches of fund raising, the 4th only needed if LaLiga did not agree with their accounting manoeuvre, which they didn't.

So to be able to get players registered on time and to buy Bernardo they needed to trigger the 4th tranche of money raising, which they have.

Good business, if you think gambling with the clubs future is a good thing to do. I certainly do not. Catastrophe looms imo.

[gavin]

I'm not really arsed where Barca get their money from. As far as I'm concerned if clubs operate within the law and pay their bills as promised then that is up to them. Selling future TV rights is quite common. In fact I think City have done similar more than once. I'd like to hear what Snr Tebas has to say about all this though.

I have a big problem with Bernard leaving. He should stay with the best team in the land and all the world.

[bbk]

I get letting 'want-away' players leave, it makes sense. What I don't like is, as with Sane, we seem to sell them well below market value. Bernie is worth 80-90 million, by my reckoning.

[gavin]

It looks like we'll be signing a young left back recommended by Vinny

https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/man-city-transfer-news-sergio-gomez-b2143042.html

[Gareth]

Well, couldn't get a better recommendation...

[gavin]

Pep said in his presser today that the lad is coming to go straight in the first team squad and compete with Joao and Josh for the left back position.

[gavin]

The second part of Pep's presser was just posted and he says that we are done in the transfer window unless someone leaves. He reiterated that he wants Bernie to stay. Plus no further left back will be bought.

[Hesperus]

So we're done in the transfer window. How do we think we did? Stronger, weaker or about the same squad?

Fractionally stronger I think because we have bought real quality but we've sold or released more "good" players so the first team squad is smaller. It'll be interesting to see how the season develops and the new style we play. Still worry about LB though. 🙂

[Neil Mcnab]

I say stronger, players who have gone wanted or needed to move on and we were in profit. 

[reddishblue]

Did Bernard say goodbye today?